


Of Love and Legends

by levigu



Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, Eventual Romance, Horror, Multi, Pokemon Journey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-15 04:32:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15405039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/levigu/pseuds/levigu
Summary: Four girls unknowingly bound by the strands of fate. One boy caught up in the midst of it all. A tale of drama, love, horror, and friendship.There's Yuri, searching  for answers from the past. Sayori, searching for a purpose. Natsuki, searching for an escape. And Monika, unsure what she's searching for, but could it have anything to do with this intriguing boy who has the Pokémon League in his sights?(Can be read without prior knowledge of DDLC.)





	1. Kantonian Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to this very ambitious crossover project! If all goes well, the intention is that the group will have adventures in many different regions, which I may post as separate stories. If you don't know DDLC, then you can still read this and not miss out on anything, but for those who DO know DDLC, you might be able to pick up on some subtle hints and references. 
> 
> Makoto, just for clarification, is my name for MC.
> 
> Be aware that DDLC is a horror game and things will get dark in later chapters.

The Magnet Train, the first high-speed link between Johto and Kanto, had been opened with a lot of ceremony and fanfare; quite rightly so, being the marvel of modern engineering that it was. It was just a shame that they couldn’t have built a nicer station to go along with it. Goldenrod Station may have been kept pristinely clean, but it was also cold and draughty, a fact not lost on the masses who used the service every day. It lacked any sort of amenities, not even a simple food vendor, and so there was little to do while waiting for a train other than wait beneath the departures board to be told when to proceed to the platform.

A teenage girl with long, flowing violet hair and striking amethyst eyes to match sat beneath the board in question, her eyes occasionally flickering up from the sketchbook on her lap to check how long she had left to wait. The frigid interior of the station did no justice to the warm autumnal day outside, nor did the drab grey of her surroundings make for anywhere near as pleasant a sight as the reds and golds and browns of the changing leaves that could be seen on any tree in Johto, but Yuri seemed to pay no regard to her surroundings. She was paying more attention to the elegant line drawing that was taking form at the tip of her pencil; a large bird in flight. Its wings, which gave the impression of ice, were thrown open, and its long streamer-like tail flowed out behind it.

Goldenrod Station was not a quiet environment, full as it was of people who were coming and going, having their own private conversations, as well as the occasional vocalisations of Pokémon. Nevertheless, Yuri thought of it as a noiseless one. The constant murmur of people in the background provided a nice hum of white noise, which helped her to focus on her drawing.

This calm was broken by a high-pitched shriek from behind Yuri. She barely had time to look around for the source of the noise before she saw a short, panicked-looking girl rush past where she was sitting, the girl's vivid red bow blurring with the coral of her hair as she ran.

“Makoto!” the girl panted, coming to a halt in front of a boy with short brown hair and, Yuri thought privately to herself, the most intriguing golden eyes. “I'm sorry, I overslept again, I nearly made us miss our train, I didn't mean to!” The girl was obviously growing distressed, but the boy, who Yuri took to be Makoto, gave her a reassuring hug.

“Sayori, it's fine,” he laughed. “We have, like, ten minutes until the train's even in the station. Don't worry about it.”

“Yeah, but you must have been waiting a long time for me,” Sayori protested, as though she were determined to find something to blame herself for.

“Not that long, and besides, it's worth the wait where you're concerned. Come on, we can go wait on the platform together.” Makoto ruffled her hair and strode off towards the platforms, Sayori chasing off after him with a pink tinge on her cheeks.

Yuri returned her attention to her sketchbook. It wasn't coming out how she wanted, it looked too flat and two-dimensional and she wasn't sure how to fix it. A glance up at the giant screen above her head told her that she wouldn't have time to try, either, because the Magnet Train was about to pull into the station and she'd be lucky to get a seat amidst the throngs of people. Tucking her sketchbook under her arm, she hoisted her backpack onto her shoulders and allowed the streaming crowd heading in that direction to point the way. All the while, a tinny, crackly voice informed passengers that “the train now standing at platform 1 is the Magnet Train for Saffron City, Kanto", before anything more it had to say crackled out of existence.

When Yuri got on, she found to her relief that the carriage she'd chosen wasn't as packed full as she'd feared, and even after everyone had settled into their places, there were some tables without any occupied seats around them. She quickly claimed one for her own and tucked her bag under her seat, but not without first retrieving her sketchbook. Before she knew it, she'd be in Kanto, and she could begin her search. Besides, she was too harsh on herself, she thought as the train lurched and began to move forward. Her drawing wasn't so bad, not with decent lighting on it.

“Oh, wow, it's Articuno!” That voice was ever so slightly familiar, and Yuri's eyes went to the window for the faintest moment before she realised that someone was commenting on her drawing. Looking up, she found herself staring into wide, innocent blue eyes framed by short, choppy coral hair, topped off by that unmistakable red bow from earlier. “I'm sorry, that's weird, isn't it? Makoto says I'm very easily distracted. Mind if I sit here?” Without waiting for an answer, she'd slipped into the window seat directly opposite Yuri. She was closely followed by her dark-haired companion, who sat down next to her.

“Um, not at all,” Yuri began, not that she could have refused at this point. “I'm Yuri, by the way.”

“Sayori! And my friend here is Makoto. He might not say much, but don't worry, he's the strong, silent type.” Sayori giggled as Makoto, looking more than a little sheepish, offered Yuri a friendly greeting. “Why are you headed to Kanto?” Although Sayori was very direct, her voice shimmered with curiosity and enthusiasm, and no abruptness whatsoever.

“I guess you could call me a researcher,” Yuri explained, taking a moment to think about how best to frame what she was doing. “It’ll be my first time in Kanto; I'm looking into rumours and sightings of mythical and legendary Pokémon, as well as other mysteries.”

“Oh, wow!” Sayori gazed raptly across the table.” Makoto, isn't that amazing? Legendary Pokémon, like that Articuno you're drawing?”

It was hard for Yuri to not get caught up in Sayori's enthusiasm. “Yep! Although I'm not specifically looking for Articuno. That's just one of my favourites. How about the two of you, what takes you to Kanto?”

“Makoto here wants to challenge the Indigo League!” Sayori beamed. “He says it's the original and the best, isn't that right?”

“Heh, sure is. And nothing but the best is good enough to challenge me.” It was the first time Makoto had really spoken, and he exuded confidence, sounding not so much cocky as self-assured, a tone that told everyone around him that he was right to back himself all the way. “And when Sayori heard about my plans, well-”

“I had to come along for moral support!” Sayori finished for him. “I couldn't let you go off to another region on your own, could I?”

“I'm sure I'd have been-” he began, but glanced at her and a hint of a smile broke through his stoic expression. “No. I guess not. Sayori and I go way back,” he added by way of explanation to Yuri. “We grew up together, and she doesn't let me get away with anything. Honestly, I swear she checks to make sure I've eaten before she'll even eat anything herself.”

Makoto chuckled, seemingly unaware that Sayori had suddenly developed an intense interest in her own fingernails. “So, Yuri, where's your investigation taking you?”

“Anywhere and everywhere.” Yuri flicked to the back of her book, where she had a crude hand-drawn map of Kanto and Johto, notes in a miniscule, cramped hand covering every available square inch of space. “There’s leads in more or less every city and landmark, including Saffron, but from there I could go to Lavender, or via Fuschia to the Seafoam Islands. I guess it depends on what I discover.”

“We should travel together!” Sayori suddenly blurted out. As Yuri and Makoto first stared at Sayori, then looked gingerly towards each other, the oblivious girl pressed on. “We're all going to be travelling all over Kanto, and none of us have been there before. It’s always good to travel with friends… right?” As her sentence trailed off, she chuckled nervously.

Friends? The word gave Yuri pause for thought. She'd known these two for a matter of minutes, but that was still longer than she'd known anyone else in Kanto. More than that, the carefree Sayori and the confident Makoto both shone with qualities she felt to be sorely lacking in her own life. Maybe it was time for her to stop being so shy, to start taking what was offered to her.

“Actually, yeah,” Yuri eventually said. “It'd be nice to not travel alone - as long as Makoto is okay with it, of course! I'd hate to impose.” She deferred to him, as she felt only right, especially considering she had no idea of the dynamic between these two. Sayori had called him her friend, but they seemed so at ease with each other, there could easily be much more going on.

Makoto seemed, for the first time, to be unsure about what to say, his eyes flickering between the two girls, but the uncertainty didn't last long and his confident attitude was back in an instant. “Sure!” he grinned. “I get to have two cute girls with me in Kanto, how could I refuse?” Yuri's face flushed, but Sayori just rolled her eyes and lightly smacked his arm.

“I apologise for this,” Sayori stage-whispered to Yuri. “I'd like to tell you he's not always like this, but that'd be a lie.”

“Hey!” Makoto protested, but he didn't have time to mount a defense of his character before he was interrupted by a chiming sound.

“Attention passengers,” crackled over the train’s PA system. “We will shortly be arriving in Saffron City. We'd like to remind you to take all belongings-” Once again, the speaker failed to relay the full, intended message, but everyone seemed to get the point, the passengers scrambling to collect their personal artifacts before arrival. Once the train pulled into the station, the three of them filed off and pulled away from the crowd, out of the station - just as bare and minimalistic as the one on the Goldenrod side - and into the harsh light of Saffron City.

Yuri's first thought was that Saffron much resembled Goldenrod, resplendent as it was with many towering skyscrapers, the tallest of which was the grand Silph Tower, home of its namesake corporation that was known throughout the world for its technological innovation. Saffron may have been just a little larger than its sister city in Johto, but the three trainers couldn't help be struck by that sense of awe, like they were visiting the big city for the first time - even Yuri, born and raised in Goldenrod. 

“Woah, this place is amazing!” Sayori gasped. “There’s so many places we can go - oh, look, a Pokémon Fan Club!”

“That's a fan club for celebrity trainers,” Makoto corrected her. “Y’know, League Champions and such. They have their idols and hangers-on. I've been reading a lot about it, because I have to be prepared for when I'm a world famous trainer!”

“You're such a dork,” Sayori snorted, giving him another swat on the arm. “Anyway, shouldn't we find the Pokémon Center first? We'll need somewhere comfortable tonight, especially if we're going to be on the road for a while afterwards.”

“Yeah, good point. I think it's this way!” Makoto declared confidently and took an abrupt right turn, heading down one of Saffron’s many bustling streets. The two girls shared a knowing glance, but followed him anyway, going straight on, then left, right, left, left again.

“I hate to be that person,” Yuri piped up into the quiet evening air, “but there's not a lot of people around and if anything, it seems like we're getting further away from the centre of town. I think it's a dead end down here - Sayori!” She had been interrupted by a yelp from the other girl, causing both Yuri and Makoto to jump in alarm and turn to stare at her.

Sayori laughed nervously. “I'm sorry, it's probably nothing, but I thought I heard - ah, there it is again!” They all heard it clearly that time, a harsh buzzing noise behind the group, but when they turned around, there was once again nothing. “Guys, I don't like this. Can we just turn back?”

“Yeah, that's probably best.” Yuri spun on her heel, only to discover what had been making the noise. It was a little Pokémon with three hexagonal interlocking faces, the bottom-centre one complete with a round, fuzzy, yellow-and-black striped abdomen. Its translucent wings beat rapidly to keep it in the air, the sinister buzzing noise it was emitting a stark contrast to its three happy smiling faces. “Oh, guys, it's just a-”

“Combee. The Tiny Bee Pokémon.” An electronic voice interrupted her, coming from a little red device held by Makoto. “It constantly gathers and delivers honey for its colony.”

“It's actually kinda cute,” remarked Sayori. “But what's it doing here? There's not a lot of flowers in a Saffron back alley.” The Combee didn't seem to be paying attention, just hovering in place, as it was joined by another of its species. The three watched in fascination as the two little creatures nested together like a pair of puzzle pieces. When a third and then a fourth joined, the trainers started to worry, and before they could react, the air was thick with Combee, slotting into place to form a wall, blocking the group off from the outside world. The wall didn't move and made no indication of attacking, but its multitude of tiny faces stared down imposingly, forming a wall significantly taller than even Makoto, who was the tallest of the trio.

“What do we do?” Sayori asked timidly.

“We get out of here before the Vespiquen shows up.” Yuri already had a ball in her hand, all white with a red band around the centre. “When you see an opening, run for it. Deima, let’s go!” She threw the ball into the air, and a snarling Absol took form. Deima's fur, typically of her species, was a papery white, but so were her face and the sharp blades of her horn and tail. The only trace of colour on the Absol’s body were in the fierce red of her eyes. 

“Slash those bees!” Yuri commanded, and Deima rushed to obey, leaping at the wall of Combee. With their queen nowhere in sight, the bees’ resolve was limited and they scattered into the air without so much as token resistance, leaving the path open for the trio to escape. Not one of them made a move. Makoto and Sayori seemed to be waiting for Yuri to take the lead, but for the violet-haired girl, all thoughts of fleeing were gone.

“Pursuit!” she ordered. Deima shot a black shadowy ball at the fleeing bees, and a couple of them toppled out of the air. “And again!”

“Yuri? Yuri!” Sayori yelled from behind her. “Come on, we have to go!”

Yuri stood stock still, Deima's ball in her hand. “I know. I, I'm sorry.”

“Apologise later, get out now, before something worse shows up!” Sayori insisted.

Yuri nodded, recalling her Absol without a word. Whatever was keeping them transfixed was broken, and the trio sprinted out of the alley, turning this way and that, towards the tall skyscrapers and the thickening crowds of people. When they came to a halt, by which time the sky around them was growing dark and had taken on a dull scarlet hue, they were in front of a building with a familiar red roof.

“Hey, look,” Makoto remarked dryly, “it's the Pokémon Center.”

“Speak of the blindingly obvious,” Sayori muttered, leading the way inside and marching up to the front desk. There were a few people milling around in the waiting area, including one trainer cradling an Oddish that looked more shaken than anything, but Yuri thought it surprisingly quiet for a city of this size.

“Welcome to our Pokémon Center!” the red-haired nurse behind the desk beamed, as the Chansey by her side waved at them. “Would you like us to heal your Pokémon?”

“Ah, no, we’re fine.” None of them, even Yuri, had seen what could be classed as actual combat yet. “But we were wondering if you had a room available tonight?”

“A room for three?” she inquired kindly, and at their assenting nods, tapped at a screen in front of her. “We sure do.” She told them the price, which was very reasonable, and as Yuri went to her bag to extract some money, Makoto interrupted.

“Don’t worry, I got this.” He paid for the room and they received three plastic swipe keys in return.

“Thank you!” smiled the nurse. “Feel free to make use of our facilities while you’re here.”

They thanked her for her help and made their way upstairs, the two girls - especially Yuri - profusely thanking Makoto for covering the room.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” he reassured them. “That’s what friends do, am I right? Let’s see what we’ve got here.” He used his key-card to open the door of the hotel room, which had a modest but cozy layout, a bunk-bed at each side of the room, as well as a simple wooden desk and office chair pushed up against one wall. “Not bad, hm? Small, but comfortable.”

“We should make the most of it, before we’re on the road and we haven’t got anything nearly as comfortable as this,” Yuri mused, sitting down gingerly on the edge of one of the beds and taking off her backpack. As Makoto began to search through his own bag for something, Sayori gingerly walked over and sat next to Yuri.

“Hey, Yuri…” Sayori started, but seemed to falter before recovering her composure. “I don’t mean to pry, but earlier with the Combee - your mind seemed to be somewhere else. You wanted to blast them out of the air. I just want you to know that I’m here, if you need to talk, okay?”

Yuri’s gaze slumped towards the floor, and she nodded, biting back unseen tears. “Thank you,” was all she managed. “I just get so caught up in the moment, I don’t like it any more than you do,” she muttered lamely.

Sayori didn’t say anything, instead pulling Yuri into a hug, which caught the taller girl by surprise, but she reciprocated, wrapping her arms around Sayori and taking in the lovely, comforting scent of the other girl’s hair. They stayed like that for a moment before breaking the embrace, Sayori giving a comforting smile and Yuri doing her best to match.

“It’s getting late out,” Yuri observed, trying to change the topic as quickly as she could. “And I’m sure we’d want to get some supplies in the morning. We should get some rest.” Sayori assented, as did Makoto, who had by now looked up from his unpacking.

Kanto was different, Yuri thought as she began to drift off to sleep. Even the sound of Hoothoot that rang through the Johto night was missing. But with new friends like these, and the potential to find answers to the questions that had been plaguing her, maybe things wouldn’t be so bad.


	2. Mysterious Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious group of masked trainers try to intimidate an intriguing lady in Saffron City. Does Yuri have any clue where they came from?

Yuri was awake just as the sun began to rise on Saffron City. She climbed out of bed and went over to the window, pulling back the curtains to gaze on the impressive view of the big city skyline that the room offered. It hadn’t quite dawned on her yet just how far from home she was, but the sight of Saffron’s many towering skyscrapers certainly helped to put things into perspective. The sky was coloured a faint pink with the sunrise and the burgeoning city’s daily activity had only just begun; only a few early risers were visible on the streets below.

“Hnn…” Makoto groaned from behind her, being roused from his sleep by the sunlight that Yuri had allowed in.

“Good morning to you as well,” Yuri responded cheerfully, only to have a pillow thrown at her by means of a retort.

“If I'd known you were a morning person, I might not have been so keen to have you travel with us,” Makoto shot back grumpily, but there was a rueful smile on his face.

“So what's the plan for today?” Yuri looked to change the subject before she started overthinking comments like the one Makoto had just made.

“I figured we'd get some breakfast, then I'll knock out the Saffron Gym before we grab some supplies for the road.” He flashed her a confident smile. “Gotta get Sayori up first, though, and that's always a challenge.” He demonstrated by tapping Sayori's shoulder, to which she didn't respond, still sleeping peacefully. “C’mon, Sayori, lots to do today!”

“Wait up.” She had to backtrack a moment. “You think you can take on the Gym here on your first day in Kanto?”

“Yeah, why not?” He gave Sayori a shake and this produced a response; she lazily batted at his arm and groaned.

“I know that the League recommends that trainers take on the Gyms in a set order.” She glanced at her notes. “And Saffron is sixth on the list.”

“That's just a guide. Gym Leaders are there to test you, not to crush you - Pewter’s first on that list, but if you go to Brock already having a bunch of badges, you'll be facing a Rhyperior or something, not a baby Onix. I'm sure it works the other way around, as well - good morning, sleeping beauty.” This last part was directed at Sayori, who had propped herself up into a sitting position.

“It's too early for you to be so loud,” Sayori complained, rubbing her eyes.

“Blame Yuri!” Makoto protested. “I'm just going with the flow - anyway, breakfast?”

On the agreement that breakfast would be an excellent idea, the three trainers got dressed and made their way to the restaurant area. They were, admittedly, up earlier than most, and there were only a couple of other guests in the restaurant at so early a time. An older man, grizzled and grey-haired and wearing a lab coat, was speaking to a much younger woman with mousy brown hair - although speaking at her might have been more apt, because while he spoke too quietly for the group to hear what he was saying, he was certainly very animated and expressive. His companion, for her part, looked bored and disinterested, her expression a hollow, far-away one.

“Yuri, you coming?” The purple-haired girl could happily people-watch all day, but Makoto had already grabbed a plate and was loading it up with as much from the breakfast buffet as he could manage, while, Yuri noticed, he also carefully watched Sayori to make sure that she was taking enough food, and would encourage her to take more at almost every opportunity.

“Yeah, sorry, I guess I spaced out a little.” Yuri flashed a reassuring smile and picked up her own plate.

They sat and ate in relative silence. Makoto eagerly ploughing his way through a plate of bacon and egg and sausage. Sayori slowly picked at her own portion, and Yuri ate more or less on autopilot, her mind drifting as it so often did.

“Makoto, you’ll give yourself indigestion,” Sayori chided. “And you’re not going to be able to eat that sort of food when we’re on the road anyway.”

“Mm, I know,” he responded through the last of his breakfast. “So I might as well take this chance while I’ve got it! You guys ready to go?”

“I don’t know how you have so much energy at this hour,” replied Sayori, “but sure, where are we headed?”

“Saffron Gym, of course! Like I told Yuri earlier. Gotta make my mark early on, you know? Let the Indigo League know I’m here!”

“If anything, they’ll hear you long before they hear of you.” Sayori shook her head, getting up from the table and leading them out of the Pokémon Center.

“Ouch, way to boost my confidence. I think the Gym’s a couple of blocks north of the Pokémon Center, so…”

“Yuri, should we really be letting him navigate after what happened last night?” Sayori questioned.

“Um, I don’t know Kanto any better than you guys.” Yuri didn’t want to be drawn into this any more than she wanted to be entrusted with the responsibility of navigating. “I’d imagine it has to be close by, though.”

“Eh, just wander around downtown and we’ll get there eventually,” Makoto assured them, although the two girls weren’t convinced, sharing a dubious look. “Hey, what’s going on up there?”

Sure enough, a commotion had broken out just up ahead of them. Makoto ran ahead and pushed his way through the growing crowd to get a look, pursued by the girls. There were three figures in black robes and hoods, their faces hidden and with a complex glyph of a golden eye sewn onto the forehead of each of their robes, threatening a young woman with their Pokémon. Respectively, they'd sent out a Golbat, an Ekans, and a Nidorino.

“C’mon, lady!” one of the hooded figures growled, his voice deep and guttural. “Tell us what we want to know and things don't have to get ugly.”

“Things got ugly as soon as you three showed up.” The slender woman didn't seem afraid one bit. She was a fraction shorter than Yuri, her jet black hair long and straight, and she tossed a Poké Ball coolly up and down in her hand. She released a yellow bipedal Pokemon with long, stubby fingers, which sat somewhat awkwardly with its eyes closed.

“Aw, she wants to play,” chuckled the same hooded man. “Golbat, Supersonic!”

“Ekans, Wrap!” commanded the second of the three, a sharp female voice.

“Nidorino, Poison Sting!” The third of the thugs was a stern-sounding man.

All at once, the Ekans leapt at the Abra, while the Nidorino shot its venomous spikes at its enemy and the Golbat's piercing shriek caused much of the watching crowd to groan and clamp their hands over their ears. The black-haired woman watched on impassively, seemingly unreactive, until her Abra disappeared at the last moment, evading the massed attack. It reappeared behind the Nidorino with a fist already crackling with electricity, swinging it into the back of the Poison-type’s head and sending it sprawling forward.

“Get up, damn you!” ordered the Nidorino’s trainer. “It can't escape forever. Horn Attack!”

“Ekans, Bite!”

“Leech Life, Golbat!”

Again, all three Pokémon leapt at the Abra. It vanished again, reappearing off to the side, but the Ekans appeared to twist in mid-air to change its direction, snapping its long body to one side in order to sink its fangs into the Psychic-type.

“Heh, good job.” Ekans’ trainer chuckled. “Now-”

“Hey, three on one isn't fair!” Makoto interrupted, and before anyone could stop him, he'd thrown a ball into the melee. “Let's go, Fenris! Ember!” An orange puppy with black stripes and cream tufts of fur on its mane and tail came bounding out of its ball, staring down the shrouded intruders. It shot a small lick of flame out of its mouth at the nearest opponent, which was the Ekans, and the snake recoiled in pain.

Sayori stared in shock, the three masked trainers turned in alarm to the source of the new voice, and even the implacable black-haired lady turned to look at him, seemingly intrigued. She gave him an approving nod, and without her issuing a command, her Abra’s huge fist took on an icy chill and swung towards the Golbat, which clattered to the ground, frozen, to the backdrop of a frustrated roar from its trainer, who quickly recalled it.

“Alright, it's two on two now!” Makoto cheered. “I like those odds a lot better.”

“Who do you think you are, kid?” The female trainer commanding the Ekans sounded positively icy. “You're interfering in matters you couldn't possibly understand.”

“Looks to me like you three were ganging up on this innocent lady.”

“Enough!” roared the man in the middle of the three. “Nidorino, Poison Sting the Growlithe!”

“And Ekans, Bite the Abra again!”

The Ekans launched itself, more in hope than anything else, at the Abra, which flickered into nothingness again. It appeared in just the right position to slam a Thunder Punch into the side of the Nidorino, but just too late to prevent it from sinking its toxic barbs into Makoto’s Growlithe.

“Fenris!” Makoto yelled in alarm. His Pokémon looked distinctly woozy and he knew he was right to fear the worst; the poison was coursing through the Growlithe’s veins already, and a sinister chuckling was coming from the mask of the Nidorino’s trainer.

“Your own Pokémon doesn’t look so good,” Makoto retorted. The two Thunder Punches had taken their toll on the Nidorino, and it was breathing heavily, taking a moment to regain its ground. “And we can still take anything you’ve got! Ember again, on Nidorino!”

The orange puppy shook itself down and sent a tongue of flame flashing towards the Nidorino, which was simply too slow to get out of the way. The purple rabbit trembled and slumped to the floor.

“Get up, damn you!” demanded the gruff man, almost in disbelief. “Unbelievable.” He recalled his Pokémon with a grunt of frustration.

“Just one remains.” The black-haired woman finally spoke up, and her gaze was fixed squarely on the last hooded figure still in the battle, Ekans’ trainer. “I suggest you take this opportunity to throw yourself upon my mercy.”

The figure hesitated for a moment, but zapped her Ekans back into its ball. The woman next to Makoto looked like she was about to say something, but before she could, a cloud of thick black smoke filled the air, causing almost everyone in the vicinity to start coughing. When it abated, the three mysterious trainers were gone, and rapid murmuring began in the crowd.

Makoto turned and offered a hand to the intriguing lady he’d fought alongside. “I’m so sorry if those jerks were causing you trouble, miss…?”

She accepted his handshake, her touch cool but firm, and gave him a mysterious smile. “The name is Sabrina. Patron and protector of Saffron City. I must thank you for coming to my aid, although I’m sure I could have seen them off myself.”

“Wait, you’re that Sabrina?” He sounded almost disbelieving. “I didn’t recognise you! Then again, we’d have met anyway, considering I was just on my way to win your badge. Makoto’s the name, and I’m travelling with my friends - wait, where’s Yuri?” Looking behind him, Sayori had been standing and watching the whole scene, transfixed, but the instantly recognisable violet of Yuri’s hair was nowhere to be seen. 

“I… I don’t know!” Sayori admitted, scanning the thinning crowd for any sign of her new friend. “I didn’t see her leave - Yuri!” There was no response.

“I have much I would like to say to you, but I see you have more pressing concerns,” Sabrina told Makoto. When he turned back around to look at her, she was pushing a purple spray bottle into his hands. “Antidote, for your Growlithe. I would very much like to see you at my Gym before the day is out.” She gave that demure smile once again and took hold of her Abra’s hand. “Until then, Makoto.”

Before he had a chance to respond, she was gone, but Makoto had little time to ponder what she’d just said, dashing up to Fenris, who was panting heavily. “I’m sorry, boy… but you did great!” he reassured his Pokémon. “You just gotta take this, and it’ll get you right back on your feet.” He sprayed the contents of the bottle over the Growlithe, and almost right away, his Pokémon felt the relief as the poison eased. Fenris nuzzled his hand, still exhausted but clearly a lot better.

“Hey, Fenris,” Makoto began curiously, “when I sent you out, there was a girl with purple hair standing next to Sayori. Her name's Yuri, but she's not here any more. Think you can track her down?”

Fenris sniffed the ground around Sayori for a moment and yipped affirmatively at Makoto. He set off with his nose low to the ground, Makoto and Sayori following behind. It didn't take long for him to lead them to Yuri, who was red-faced, panting and breathless in a nearby alleyway.

“Yuri!” both of them shouted at once. She looked up at them and for a moment, an expression of terror was visible on her face, but she did her best to bring it under control, trying to present a calmer face. Neither of them were fooled.

“Yuri, what happened?” Makoto asked.

“I'm sorry!” Yuri gasped out. “I got spooked, it's silly, I guess I just panicked for a moment - I'm sorry for making you chase after me.” She fidgeted with a lock of her hair, looking sheepish.

“There was nothing to worry about, Makoto was incredible!” Sayori reassured her. Makoto grinned indulgently at the praise, but Yuri shook her head.

“It's not that, it's - well, you'd just think it's silly anyway.”

“Yuri.” Sayori spoke firmly, more so than Yuri had heard her since they'd met. “We're friends, right? And as your friend, I want you to know that you can share anything with me. I'm not going to think it's silly, and I want you to be able to speak your mind.” She placed a hand on Yuri's shoulder, and Yuri felt a peaceful aura descend upon her.

“I guess.” Yuri didn't sound entirely convinced, but she smiled weakly. “It's just, I've seen that eye before. Exact same symbol.”

“Where?” Makoto demanded abruptly, only to receive a glare from Sayori. “What, I'm just-”

“You don't have to snap at her,” Sayori admonished.

“No, it's okay.” Yuri took a deep breath. “I actually have it with me.” She slipped her backpack off, reaching into it and pulling out a black hardcover book. The same clumsy engraving of an eye was right there on the cover, staring out at the world, so simple and yet so unnerving, just below the title.

“A Portrait of Mewtwo?” Makoto queried. “What's that?”

“It's just, well, you guys have heard of the legend of Mewtwo, right?” The other two shared a questioning look, but Makoto nodded hesitantly. “Corrupt scientists try to make the most powerful Pokémon in the world through gene splicing experiments, it revolts against them, mistreating Pokémon is bad. Well, this book is - it's just a story, but it's based on a similar premise. There's this girl who gets taken in by some cult, except it turns out that they're performing gene splicing experiments - on humans and Pokémon.” Yuri's voice hitched, and Sayori squeezed her shoulder lightly. “The details aren't that important, but it gave me nightmares the first time I read it and I guess I just saw that symbol and, you know, got anxious.” Yuri trailed off and allowed her gaze to fall to the ground.

There was silence for a moment, until it was broken by Makoto. “So, you think these goons have something to do with that?”

Yuri shook her head. “No, I don't think so - I figure they're just some thugs who liked the look of the symbol, so they copied their uniforms from the book. That's what I saw in my nightmares, so I just, I don't know. I'm sorry about all this.” Yuri stuffed the book back in her bag and did her best to smile. “I'm fine now, I promise. What are we doing now?”

Makoto looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but thought better of it. “Well, do you know who that lady was, the one who the goons were menacing? Sabrina!” He barely gave her a chance to answer.

“Sabrina?” Yuri murmured thoughtfully. “I wonder what they wanted with her.”

“No idea! But it explains the Abra, right? Anyway, I still want to get her badge, but she was so thankful she said she made me promise to go see her.”

“Not quite,” scoffed Sayori.

“Yeah, well, she still wanted to speak to me. So I wanted to go heal up Fenris, then head to the Gym. We'll grab some supplies and - is there anything that you wanted to do here, with your research?”

“Um, not as such,” Yuri answered after a moment's thought. “There were some rumours about Silph not that long ago, but I don't think we'd get to go rummaging around in their files. Saffron's too technological. Technology doesn't usually mix with mythical Pokémon, they're repelled by the energies or something.”

“Alright, let's get going! And this time, I know the way to the Pokémon Center,” Makoto grinned. They made the short trip back to the Pokémon Center to discover that Fenris had injuries that were minor enough to be dealt with by the healing machine that came as standard. Sayori, nervous about a repeat of the previous day, made sure to ask the nurse how to get to the gym before they left.

“Anyone would think that you don't trust me.” Makoto put on a voice of faux outrage as they walked towards the northern side of downtown Saffron, where the gym was located. Approaching where they'd been told the gym was, the trio stopped in their tracks upon seeing not one but two gym buildings.

“Where do we go?” Yuri asked.

“I don't know, is this Sabrina's gimmick?” Makoto wondered.

“Idiots. It's over here.” Sayori took a few steps towards the right hand building.

“How could you tell?” asked Makoto.

“Because this one says Saffron Gym over the top, the other one says Fighting Dojo.”

Makoto hastily scurried to follow, Yuri bringing up the rear, and they passed through the doors and walked through the grand entranceway into the Gym’s inner sanctum. The gym’s interior was a large domed space, almost like Makoto would have perceived the interior of a spaceship. The walls were a rich royal purple that gradually faded to black towards the ceiling, although the curve made it impossible to tell where the walls ended and the ceiling began. A ring of dazzling white lights were spaced around the upper diameter of the room, illuminating the battle stage underneath, which was a simple yellow platform with walkways extending towards the trainer's platforms. One such walkway reached the feet of the trio as soon as they walked through the entrance, and on the far side, in her trainer’s box, stood Sabrina, who looked up immediately upon becoming aware of their presence.

“Ah, welcome.” Again, that mystifying smile worked itself across Sabrina's face. “I've been expecting you for a long time.”


End file.
